Jesus spent 40 days in the Desert. I only spent 21, but here's what began to happen;

reply to post by otie1


Does it matter? Would you love your neighbors more and try not to to be so judgmental towards others (and yourself!) if you could do shots of Patron with Jesus?

With as much respect as I can muster, you seem to have completely missed the point.

reply to post by dominicus


I once ate a lot of mushrooms by myself in a very secluded place for about 12 hours. It was the most spiritual experience of my life. I felt almost the exact same things that you felt during your journey, though mine wasn't as intense as yours. However I do agree with everything you said. People are so caught up with "searching" and "yearning" for things they want, that they don't take the time to acknowledge that everything they need is right here in the present moment. It's like everyone has the same underlying question.. and we all fail to realize the answer is always right in front of us, surrounding us.

reply to post by dominicus


Thank you for sharing. Great read. I feel this too when I'm in a Canadian forest or somewhere on the Pacific in the presence of whales. It's breathtaking and you wonder what the hell you're doing in this godforsaken, artificial environment we call society.

reply to post by dominicus


Congratulations. I recommend doing these kind of things once a year. I did something similar and it really changed the way I saw society. Your vision becomes crystal clear when you have time to stop and think. I wish everyone on earth could do this for 12 days. Governments would collapse.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


No I'm just curious as to why everyone uses Jesus as a source of info.

Can I use the tooth fairy as a scapegoat for my faults?

BTW-i missed no points. I completely understood.

Jesus was 40 years old when that happened and it has nothing to do with an amount of days. 40 days in the desert has nothing to do with what the thread is about.

reply to post by otie1


Sure. Do you have a tooth fairy story that illustrates a simple human truth (like "love your neighbor and try not to be so judgmental)? I'd love to hear it.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


I think it is you sir, who has missed the point.
Look I'm trying to be nice and sensitive because I know how people get when you talk about imaginary beings.

All I'm saying is we have NO proof jebus EVER existed besides stories and hear-say.

I'm just denying the ignorance of no proof magic man Jesus.

reply to post by otie1


The story of Jesus is a metaphor. It means something much deeper and more profound than a bloke who lived or did not live 2000 years ago.

The story points directly to this, the present moment. It points to reality.

reply to post by otie1


I missed nothing.

The truth is: The universe is language. Time and space are meaningless and all communication is story.

That you are arguing over the relative existence (or lack thereof) of a man who supposedly lived and worked in ancient Palestine 2000 years ago is precisely "missing the point."

It just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the story. It's how we transit information.

The History of the world is the story of one man. He lived a long time ago and never died. Or something like that anyway.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s

The History of the world is the story of one man.

That's because there IS only one man...

"The multiplicity is only apparent. This is the doctrine of the Upanishads. And not of the Upanishads only. The mystical experience of the union with God regularly leads to this view, unless strong prejudices stand in the way." -Erwin Schrödinger

Wow wow wow wait arguing? I want nothing to fo with that. That might be how you perceived it, I was just stating my views and opinions. Sorry if I offended you. Everyone sees things differently, there's no need to pick out flaws.

I just don't believe in jesus. That is all. I just see so much death and bloodshed in the name of Christ or god that I want nothing to do with it. I mean sure religion is a global security blanket but the big wigs in power use jesus for wars.

Sorry if I offended you man. I'm not trying to be a jerk or troll or anything, just express my views.

Originally posted by 0zzymand0s

The History of the world is the story of one man.

First there appears to be many, many men and then there is just one man and then he realizes that he is not either.

There is just what is happening.

reply to post by otie1


Arguing is a word used to describe debate between two or more parties. A Lawyer argues his or her case before a jury, et al.

I am not "mad." You are entitled to your "opinion." I am entitled to "mine."

I jumped in because there were a lot of references (from Christians, and I am not properly a "Christian") in the thread to the OP's use of the Jesus / 40 days in the wilderness metaphor. I only argued that it is / was a proper metaphor.

You responded and I answered. I know not who or what you were responding to, nor does it matter, as this is a multi-poled "conversation" about one man's experience over 21 days.

I bear you no ill-will, and when I said "with as much respect as I can muster," I actually meant it literally.

So a man tells of his experience alone in the woods and many ATS members feel the need to denigrate, marginalize and basically insult him for even trying to seek a broader understanding of the world.

ATS use to be a place of discussion; now the trolls have taken over and no one cares!

Hey guys,
It's the OP. Thanks for checking out my thread. Back to answer some questions.

I did the retreat this past summer

I took very little food(oranges/apples, nuts/grains) and only ate small amounts at night before sleep. I've fasted before, so getting to a point of getting used to not eating til night, wasn't too bad besides the first 2-3 days.

The Flow/Being, was an actual insight, experience, vision type of deal that hasn't left me since then. Everything Is (capital I) and this Isness is alive, flows, through everything.

At a certain point, tree's had auras. I thought it might be due to the fasting, but then I noticed some tree's that had cancerous knots, or the dead tree's, did not have aura's to them, which makes me wonder if it was legit.

The Jesus thing. I'm not comparing myself to him, but wanted to follow in his footsteps of being in the wilderness to see what would happen. I knew it would be tough, and that first few days were. I think the 21 days gave me better insight into the mind of Jesus.

Since I left there, I have kept with me many of the insights and realizations gained there. Most notably, I'm fine where-ever I am, but prefer solitude and quiet places as they are conducive to going within.

I've actually met a married woman, through mutual friends who heard about my 21 days, and she takes off a month each year and drives down to the Grand Canyon from the midwest, and camps out by herself for a month of meditation solo solitude retreat. She's told me that if she didn't do it, she would have gone crazy by now

Anyway, I'll try to answer more questions when I get the chance.
Thanks guys for checking out the thread, I highly appreciate and look forward to actually going out for 40 days. Hope to make it happen sometime in the next year or so

People take little things in life to seriously. Why does life have to be so serious?

Now I'm thinking about exposing myself to nature for awhile.

People need to get away from it all sometimes. If you get offended by something you see on a screen you need to take a break and go back to reality.

We have houses and electricity and internet and internet capable devices and we still Want and complain, when instead we should be worrying about what we Need. We are creatures of nature not creatures of corporations.

I'm going to cancel some prior engagments and go for a hike.

Thank you op for sharing. It is really something to be out away from all the interference of other people and just "be". I tease my husband that is why so many guys like to go "hunting" and "camping", and I dont mean sissy camping. It is just another way of saying they like to be out with nature.

reply to post by dominicus


I think it was an interesting experiment and a good report of it.
Being around nature does wonderful things to your being. For one, you're not breathing constant car fumes.
It's not an easy thing to fast either. I've ate so much this Christmas that just trying to think about what you done, is already stressing me out. That's how deep the matrix is embedded in me. The last time I was in the woods, I was only there for a couple of hours and I was telling my mate how good it feels. Just a couple of hours.
I can't complain because I have a river outside my window and the woods is walking distance, I live in a town not a city, but still. I know exactly what you're on about and I applaud you
(those that don't know, well, you can always try it yourself. Make the effort then post your experience.
Stop bashing the OP, you're just jealous).